It's a wide 'Street'

The Baltimore Sun

In 30 years working with horses, Sykesville trainer Nancy Alberts had come about as close to the Preakness as most Marylanders. She'd watched the race on television.

"I never dreamed I'd be in a big race like that," she said.

But the talk in early 2002 said that no horse had emerged as a Triple Crown front-runner. And she had a medium-sized bay gelding named Magic Weisner who seemed to run a little better every time out. When she announced plans to saddle him in the Preakness, some local thoroughbred watchers told her she shouldn't lest she embarrass herself and the horse.

Alberts had faith in her 45-1 underdog, however, figuring if he had room to run down the stretch, he could shock everyone. Magic Weisner did just that, charging past the competition and nearly catching eventual winner War Emblem before settling for a surprising second.

Magic Weisner hasn't been the only horse with Maryland ties to make an unexpected run to glory in the Preakness.

Deputed Testamony hadn't even run in the Kentucky Derby when he became the last Maryland-bred to romp to victory in the Preakness in 1983.

Trainer Billy Boniface shared that victory with his father, Big Bill, the patriarch of a Harford County family that has worked with horses at its farm in Darlington since 1963.

Boniface almost repeated the trick in 1995 when Oliver's Twist went off as a 25-1 underdog and finished second, just off the lead.

In 2005, Bowie trainer Rob Bailes saddled Scrappy T as a 20-1 underdog and the colt finished second behind Afleet Alex.

Several horses with Maryland connections will attempt to follow the formula this year.

Like Deputed Testamony and Oliver's Twist, Xchanger - owned by Baltimore developer Domenico Zannino and trained at Fair Hill - won the Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico Race Course and then skipped the Derby.

"We're dealing with a fresher horse," said Zannino, explaining the logic that has underpinned so many Maryland-based long shots. "You figure if the front-runners that ran in the Derby are just 10 percent less, then we have a whole different race."

"This is our Derby," added trainer and co-owner Mark Shuman. "We'll be racing for 10 times as big a purse as we did in our last start, whereas the Derby horses will be racing for half as much. We'll be racing on four weeks' rest; they'll be racing on two."

Zannino has never even attended the Preakness. Xchanger was the first 2-year-old colt he bought. But he said the race is something special for a person with local ties.

"It's extraordinary," he said. "When you buy a horse, it can't not be in the back of your mind how far you could go with him. All competition is great, but this is obviously the best you can find in this state. So I'm ready to really enjoy it."

Bailes, meanwhile, will saddle Mint Slewlep, a colt even less experienced than the unsung Scrappy T.

Veteran thoroughbred watchers agree running in the Preakness holds special meaning for Maryland owners and trainers.

Pimlico historian Joe Kelly remembered well-liked Maryland trainer Henry Clark, whose horses won many races, but never the Preakness. Clark had a shot in 1982 with a strong horse named Linkage. Linkage, ridden by legendary jockey Willie Shoemaker, stayed within striking distance of leader Aloma's Ruler throughout the stretch run of that Preakness, but could not pass.

Lots of pride

"He told me that was one of the greatest desires in his life, to win the Preakness," Kelly recalled. "So you can only imagine how difficult it was for him to come so close. There is a great deal of pride involved in running the Preakness, especially as an older trainer."

Longtime Pimlico general manager Chick Lang said some Maryland trainers and owners have entered long shots simply because they wanted to be part of the Preakness scene.

"If you're kind of on the fence and you don't know if your horse can beat the Derby winner, maybe you think, 'I'm home. All my friends are here. What the hell. I'll run,'" Lang said. "You get to go to all the parties. And it's something you can tell your grandchildren about, though you might not tell them where the horse finished."

Despite the local pride, trainers rarely run hopeless underdogs, Kelly said.

"Most trainers are pretty practical," he said. "The idea is to pick the best spot for the horse, not to overmatch him. If you put him in a field that just runs right by him, you can take the heart out of a horse."

Though Maryland contenders have tended to be long shots in recent years, that wasn't always the case. Challedon, widely considered the greatest Maryland-bred in Triple Crown history, finished second in the Kentucky Derby and then swept by the favored Johnstown to win at Pimlico in 1939.

Native Dancer was born in Kentucky, but was raised and trained at Sagamore Farm in Glyndon. The "Gray Ghost" won the Preakness and Belmont Stakes in 1953 and is considered one of the greatest horses in U.S. history.

Maryland-bred Captain Bodgit finished second in the Derby and third in the Preakness in 1997.

Few thought Boniface had that kind of horse on his hands when he saddled Deputed Testamony for the 1983 race. In fact, many believed that stablemate Parfaitement, who had run in the Derby, was a stronger bet.

Derby winner Sunny's Halo went in as the favorite, but struggled at the start and lost steam at the end of the far turn. Deputed Testamony took advantage of a muddy track to chase down fast-opening Desert Wine and give the Boniface family its biggest win.

"That's one of the memories that stands out for me," Lang said. "Billy Boniface handing the trophy to Big Bill."

'Magic' skeptics

Like Boniface before her, Alberts saw no use in throwing her long shot, Magic Weisner, into the Derby. "Why would I want to run him against 20 other horses?" she reasoned. "He didn't have the speed for that."

But with a smaller field at Pimlico, his late charge might just be good enough, she thought. Others were skeptical.

"There were a lot of people in the racing office who didn't want me to run," Alberts said. "They didn't want me to embarrass myself."

Alberts loved Preakness week - the calls from reporters seeking the underdog story, the roar from the crowd as her hometown horse trotted to the gate.

"Oh, it was exciting," she said.

She told rider Richard Migliore that Magic Weisner would do anything asked of him. And as she watched the race, her dream unfolded. Her gelding lay back. "But then, he hit the head of the lane and just roared," she recalled. "At first, I was excited that he had a chance to finish fourth. Then, I was excited that he had a chance to finish third. Then, I saw that he was going to be second. With one more jump, he'd have won."

She felt no disappointment at the near-miss. "Not with that horse," she said. West Nile virus eroded the muscles in Magic Weisner's hind end and forced his retirement. But he lives a happy life grazing on Alberts' land in Sykesville. "I'm looking at him right now," she said. "He's out here looking for trouble. He's a real nice guy, real kind."

Alberts, who trains six horses now, said she'd love another shot at the Preakness. She called it an unquestioned highlight for a Maryland trainer. "I've had a lot of great races," she said. "But that's the biggest."

childs.walker@baltsun.com

The 132nd Draw

1. MINT SLEWLEP

Odds: 30-1

2. XCHANGER

Odds: 15-1

3. CIRCULAR QUAY

Odds: 8-1

4. CURLIN

Odds: 7-2

5. KING OF THE ROXY

Odds: 12-1

6. FLYING FIRST CLASS

Odds: 20-1

7. HARD SPUN

Odds: 5-2

8. STREET SENSE

Odds: 7-5

9. C P WEST

Odds: 20-1

Copyright © 2021, The Baltimore Sun, a Baltimore Sun Media Group publication | Place an Ad
72°